Wedding guests may be traveling from down the street or across the country to celebrate with you on your wedding day. Thank them for their efforts with a special treat or gift bag full of goodies they can use while in town for your wedding. From beachy destination wedding bags to fun and practical hotel welcome bags, give your guests items that will make their stay more enjoyable. Read on for a list of great wedding gift bag ideas.

The Hotel Wedding Welcome Bag

Whether you are having your wedding at a faraway destination or in your own hometown, chances are you will have some out-of-town guests that will need to stay in local lodging for a night or two during your wedding festivities. A sure way to make your out-of-town guests feel special is to greet them with a hotel wedding welcome bag. These special gift bags are sort of like care packages, filled with all the creature comforts that will make their stay more enjoyable. The welcome bag will also introduce your guests to the wedding weekend events and provide them with information on the town their staying in. Consider filling the bags with some of the following items:

- A welcome letter from the bride and groom

- A wedding weekend itinerary that lists the times, locations and addresses of all of the wedding events

- A contact name and number for guests to reach if they have any questions (designate a responsible family member to be the contact)

- Tour guide gear – list of places to go, see and eat at while in town, (include maps and brochures and coupons when possible)

- Travel candle, mini bath products, lint roller and sewing kit

- Bottles of water, mints, gum

- Local edible specialties from your hometown

- A little souvenir from the area

- Toys for the kids – coloring books, crayons or card games

Choose a collection of these items and gather them into a beautiful customized gift bag. Personalize the bag with the bride and groom’s names and include the name of the city and the dates of the wedding weekend. Check with the hotel that your guests are staying at and get a list of the room numbers. The day they are arriving, place the bags in each of the rooms for a neat surprise!

Budget is also a big consideration when couples are deciding what to give to their guests. The welcome bags and destination bags can get pricey. It will be easier to accommodate these types of gifts if you are having a smaller guest list. To help save, look for dollar items to include and go to your local tourism bureau to see if they can give you free maps and brochures of your area.

The Destination Wedding Gift Bag

If you are hosting your wedding at an exotic location or special destination, more than likely your guests will be traveling from afar! Most destination weddings take place in a tropical beach local. Often when guests travel to your destination wedding, they are planning to stay in the area for a more extended period of time, maybe for the whole weekend or even a week. Some guests will take advantage of the excuse to get away and will combine your wedding weekend with a family vacation. So when they arrive at your destination, greet them with a special gift bag full of items that will enhance their fun in the sun. Consider some of these entertaining and practical items to tuck into a destination wedding gift bag:

- Sunscreen/Aloe Vera

- Flip Flops

- Sun Mat

- Beach Towel

- Magazine

- Postcard from the destination

- Sand castle supplies or inflatable beach ball for the kids

Tuck all or some of these items into a beach or tote bag or a personalized beach themed gift bag. Your guests will surely appreciate having these items on hand when they head to the beach!

The Goody/Favor Bag

You can’t go wrong with sending home a tasty treat with each guest from your wedding. Your goody and favor bags can be designed especially for your favorite treats and sweets. Fill these bags with cookies, candies, popcorn, truffles, cake pops or chocolate-covered anything! Decorate your favor bags with dainty ribbons, bows, twine or and embellishments that coordinate with your wedding theme. Set a goody bag at each guest’s seat. They can snack on the items throughout the night or take them home for a midnight snack.

The Hangover Helper Kit

It’s no secret that the guests at your wedding are planning on having a good time. There is a chance that these good times might cause them a little discomfort the next morning. For all the guests who enjoyed themselves a little too much at the reception, prepare a Hangover Helper Kit to get them back in tip-top shape. What do you put in a Hangover Helper Kit, well anything thing that will help ease the headaches, stomachaches and tiredness that you may be experiencing after a night of partying. Include some of the following items in your kit:

- Water/Gatorade

- Aspirin

- Tums/Pepto-Bismol

- Saltine Crackers

- Cheap Sunglasses

- Gum or mints

- A $5.00 McDonald’s or Starbucks gift card for their choice of coffee or greasy goodness

If you know your wedding guests are going to be hardy partiers, the Hangover Helper Kit may be a good guest gift idea. Put the above items in a personalized gift bag that reads “Hangover Helper Kit” and a fun little saying about the bag’s contents.

The type of wedding bag you choose to give out depends on what type of wedding you are going to have and where your wedding is located. If you are having a destination wedding where all of your guests will traveling from afar and staying in local accommodations then a destination wedding bag or hotel wedding bag would be appropriate. If you do not have a lot of family or friends that live far away and are not planning on staying at a hotel in town, you may want to go with a small treat or favor bag. If you’re having a calm afternoon wedding and reception, then the hangover kits probably won’t be needed. Once you decide on the type and feel of your wedding you can then decide on the kind of favors or gifts you will give to your guests. A good rule of thumb is to just imagine what you would like to receive if you were attending someone else’s wedding.

About the Author - Amanda is a writer and product developer for My Wedding Reception Ideas.com. My Wedding Reception Ideas specializes in personalized wedding favors including personalized guest gift bags for wedding rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, engagement parties and other special occasions. You can find morehelpful wedding tips, advice and ideas from Amanda and other wedding experts here.